It Should Have Been You
books and lyrics by Brian Hargrove
music and concept by Barbara Anselmi
directed by David Hyde Pierce
starring Tyne Daly
July 26, 2015 Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
I never expected this to be such a sweet experience. Although the story of the day-of-the-wedding-blues and accombant regret has been told over and over – It Should Have Been You seemed oh, so fresh to me. The play was certainly built on the fun of the Jewish family marrying up with the decidedly not-Jewish. The wit is quick. The mother-in-laws, featuring Tyne Daly and Harriet Harris simply rock with comic timing, but it is the big, belting number of the plus-size sister played by Tony-nominee Sierra Goggess that sealed the success of the matinee. Her anthem, “Jenny’s Blues” nearly brought the house to its feet. She so deserved each and every moment. Continue reading It Should Have Been You→
I came in expecting to hate this play and simply found myself riveted. The plot is simple: four couples of varied sexual backgrounds get together in a beautiful beach home to have a swingers sex party! I was thinking I was going to hear a lot of provocative talk and some, if not a lot of deliciously gratuitous nudity. But, no! The sex party turned out to be as strained and mundane as you might imagine your parents would give. Yech! I get it. Condoms are thrown around as confetti but never used for their given purpose. Lots of sex talk resolved itself into talk of parking difficulties outside the beach home and thoughts on food delivery in the area. Continue reading The Qualms→
Fourth of July and I am sitting here with the Brits for a full day (near 6 hours) of King Henry VIII and his relationship challenges. This massive work was really quite perfect for the Fourth of July! Told in two parts separated by a dinner break, I took off my shoes, curled my legs and hunkered down for a delicious piece of this history. Smartly so, the set was black and grey and stark and ready to put all of the attention on the characters – not their world. Unlike most tellings of this piece of history, Wolf Hall focuses on the role that Crowell played as he goes from minor player to the puppet-master himself. Continue reading Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2→
Gloria
written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
directed by Evan Cabnet
The Vineyard Theatre
June 20, 2015
Production website 💉💉💉 out of 5.
Talk to any wanna-be actor and they will tell you that his/her number one fear is to spend out their youth in the confines of a cubicle, answering the phone, shuffling paper and dreaming of their next concoction at Starbucks! Gloria gives us such a cruel and competitive cubicle where twenty-somethings fight for the attention of their boss to get better jobs that they will equally disdain!
Office humor can be quite caddy and funny and then, of course, it can become quite crude, as lines are drawn and a feeding frenzy begins on all of the weak and disconnected employees. To avoid going out for drinks with the gang on Friday after work is to risk being the butt of the joke for a long, long time. Continue reading Gloria→
Disenchanted
book, music and lyrics by Dennis T. Giacino
directed by Fiely A. Matias
produced by Westside Theatre
June 14, 2015
💉💉💉 out of 5.
Six women play dozen’s of Disney Princesses in this adult comedy and send-up of all that is Disney and much of what is female in countless bedtime stories.
The result is super sweet, a bit naughty and truly captivating. My imagination was kept for the entire short 90 minutes of the play – grateful of course that they didn’t overwork the bit for another hour.
As the musical asks, I found myself wondering why almost every happily-ever-after – – involves finding that certain someone, Can’t a hard won happily-ever-after be just as sweet and rewarding on your own. I am NOT a Disney person and certainly not a Princess fan – but now I understand their appeal and danger to a young audience.
loria
senchanted